En la mesa de Dios / At God's Table

In this vividly illustrated book, the celebration of the Lord's Supper unfolds as a multi-faceted event that nourishes our faith and stirs our imagination to see the gifts of grace and signs of God's ongoing work in our lives and God's world.

Also see the Korean-English version.

About the Authors

María Eugenia Cornou is program manager for international and intercultural learning at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She recently completed her Ph.D. in theology with the Free University of Amsterdam. She is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Carrie Steenwyk is children's ministry director and lead curriculum writer at Harderwyk Ministries in Holland, Michigan. She teaches at Kuyper College and edits for several publishers, including the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. With CICW, she has been co-editor for the Church at Worship series, and co-author of At Your Baptism.

John D. Witvliet is director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and professor of congregational and ministry studies, music, and worship at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, respectively. He is co-editor of Psalms for All Seasons: A Complete Psalter for Worship, with Joyce Borger and Martin Tel (Brazos Press and Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2012).

About the Illustrator

Joel Schoon-Tanis has written and illustrated several books (recently 40: the Biblical story), painted murals around the world (including Kenya, Zambia, the Separation Wall in Palestine), and painted nearly a gazillion paintings in his career. In 2016 one of these was presented to the Pope.

Endorsements

• "En la mesa de Dios / At God’s Table is a great help to parents and an engaging gift to young children. The mystery of the Lord’s Supper is something children sense from the earliest years of congregational worship with the family of faith. This vibrantly illustrated and thoroughly biblical explanation of this sacred meal will help build anticipation as well as understanding for children participating at any level of sacramental practice and denominational breadth. The bilingual text is helpful for building a sense of the world-wide reality of the Christian church and the guide for parents included in the back of the book helps build the engagement of children with the supper over a good span of time without being complicated.  The real depth and strength of the book is how the Lord’s Supper is connected creatively with the whole of Jesus’ ministry in a look-n-see manner.  I heartily recommend this book for helping parents in the pew engage their children in approaching sacramental practice in the church with faith and wonder."
  Robbie F. Castleman, author of Parenting in the Pew (IVPress)
  
  
• I am enthused about the book "At God's Table," It has the rare virtue of being able to serve as a children's book and as a catalytic for many a profound adult conversation. And—an even rarer virtue—it is likely to provoke and sustain many a cross-generational discussion in which children can participate jointly with adults. Try using it! 
  Justo L. González, Methodist historian and theologian. He is a prolific author and an influential contributor to the development of Latino/Latina theology.

• En la mesa de Dios / At God's Table is a beautifully illustrated and written children's book that is sure to help families better understand the rich meaning and appreciate the great gift of the Eucharist. 
  William H. Johnston, Ph.D., University of Dayton

• En La Mesa De Dios / At God’s Table exquisitely unfolds the extension leaves of the Communion table from the confines of religious ritual to the hearts and theological imagination of everyday people—young and old! Every page is an invitation to the Holy mystery of the Eucharist spoken in the language of art, a language that transcends tongue, culture, age, and doctrinal variations. It is also an invitation for those nourished at the Table to imagine and enact Holy works of love in a world so deplete of grace and welcome. What a wonderful, accessible, stunning(!) resource for congregations, families, and religious educators!
  Charlene Jin Lee, Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Spirituality, Loyola Marymount University

• Este libro lleno de coloridas ilustraciones, capta la atención e imaginación de los niños de una manera que genera un puente con los adultos, y permite explícales y enseñarles el concepto de la Santa Cena. ¡El tener disponible este recurso en español e inglés, multiplica su utilidad en nuestros ministerios!
  
  This vibrantly illustrated book, captures the attention and imagination of children in a way that creates a bridge for adults to explain and teach the concept of the Lord’s Supper. Having this resource available both in Spanish and English, multiplies its utility in our ministries!
  Elizabeth Tamez Méndez, Ph.D. cand., Directora Ejecutiva de Nueva Generación3 / Executive Director of New Generation3
  
  
• This book offers a wonderful invitation to children and adults alike to engage with the Lord’s Supper. Bright illustrations, warm colors, and down-to-earth verse in Spanish and English all make this an incredibly appealing introduction to one of our most powerful acts of worship—eating bread, drinking the cup, and receiving God’s love and triumph over our fears, trials, and death itself. And don’t miss the final pages where the book creatively connects this story to the rest of scripture through “Has Visto? Did You See?”--pictures that will send kids hunting for biblical stories hidden in the pages just read.
  Bonnie Miller-McLemore, author of Let the Children Come: Reimagining Childhood from a Christian Perspective and In the Midst of Chaos: Care of Children as Spiritual Practice.
  
  
• Jesus loved the children and often summoned them to him, yet there are very few resources for children of various ethnicities and languages to learn of Jesus’ love. En La Mesa De Dios / At God’s Table offers a solution by bringing a powerful theological lesson to the “kid’s table” in a manner that is captivating, accessible and enjoyable. We need more resources such as this for children of every nation and in as many languages as possible. Well-done on this brilliant gift for some of our greatest blessing(s), our children!
  Emmett G. Price III, Dean of the Chapel; Professor of Worship, Church & Culture; Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
  
  
• As parents of small children and pastors of a multilingual congregation we believe every culture ought to hear of the magnificent gift of grace in their native language. In En la mesa de Dios / At God's Table, we have a powerfully illustrated and beautifully told narrative that inspires a new generation of disciples to embrace the power and grace of the Lord's Supper.
  Gabriel and Jeanette Salguero, Co-Founders of National Latino Evangelical Coalition, Pastors of Calvario City Church

• En la mesa de Dios / At God's Table is a colorful depiction of the Last Supper that creatively teaches Latino children—and all children—about the Lord's Table. The words of Jesus, his miracles and ministry are vividly portrayed with encouragement to remember him as they eat the bread and drink the cup.
  La Verne Tolbert, Ph.D., Vice President Editorial, Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI)

• Beautiful watercolor illustrations fill this powerful picture book for children. The author pairs simple words from the Eucharist with common theological interpretations of the meal which stands at the center of Christian worship. Congregational leaders will find this text helpful in educating children and families about this important sacrament.
  Karen-Marie Yust, Union Presbyterian Seminary

• At God’s Table has many beautifully sketched, full-color pictures that tease out multiple layers of meaning for the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist and salvation. The words in this children’s book are few, but they too pack layers of meaning. This is a theologically sound, ecumenical book that can be used in many contexts to teach many things about the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist. The picture search challenge at the end of the book is captivating and will certainly hold children’s attention while teaching them new insights about important Bible stories that bear on salvation. A children’s book? My bet is that many adults will enjoy this book, too!
  Joyce Ann Zimmerman, C.PP.S., author of Worship with Gladness: Understanding Worship from the Heart.